His Excellency the State President, Dr Lazarus Chakwera, says the rehabilitation of a 302 kilometre stretch of the inter-region M1 Road is expected to boost economic activity across the four districts it will be implemented in.
The project covers the stretch from Kamuzu International Airport turn off in Lilongwe to Chiweta in Rumphi.
The State President noted – during the ground breaking ceremony in Dowa – that the project will see the flourishing of trade along the North-South Corridor, a regional trade route that links the two port cities of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Durban in South Africa.
“We will see an uptick in the long-distance transportation of imports and exports from and to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. We will see faster progress towards Malawi 2063 Vision of an inclusively wealth and self-reliant nation as Malawian businesses move goods and commodities faster and safer between trading centers and beyond our borders,” he said.
He added: “We will see thousands of jobs created through the implementation of the project itself. We will see a reduction in accidents and transportation costs incurred through the wear and tear vehicles suffer on bad roads and the length of time it takes to travel on them. We will see other sectors thriving because of the ease of movement this project will facilitate, sectors like tourism, agriculture, education, tourism, and governance.”
President Chakwera stated that the rehabilitation of the M1 Road demonstrates his government’s commitment to deliver on its development promises to all Malawians.
“We are making a clear statement that a New Malawi is Rising that aims to unite all of Malawi, develop all of Malawi, prosper all of Malawi, and connect all of Malawi,” said the Malawi leader.
He added: “It connects us as Malawians. It connects us to the promise of our shared development, to the beauty of our shared environment, to the power of our shared culture, and to the prosperity of our shared markets.”
The European Investment Bank is financing the project to the tune of over €117 million (almost MK120 billion).
